SemperGumby

Plus having to pump it is great intimidation, one of the many reasons that so many departments stay with pump action shotties. That sound of jacking a round into the chamber of a pump action is unmistakable.

Also, I think being able to toss in a slug or LTL round without having to clear it first would be useful. In most situations officers will have a pistol to fight their way to the shotgun if need be as well as to protect themselves while acquiring the shotgun and going condition 1 with it.

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Creature

+1. This is the biggest advantage of having the bolt open in my opinion...

Rexster

A pump-action shotgun of classic design has a safety that only blocks the trigger, which is not considered as safe as something that blocks the sear or locks or disengages the firing pin. Moreover, crossbolt safeties can be bumped on or off unintentionally, so a shotgun such as the Remington 870 cannot be trusted to stay on or off safe. My patrol shotgun, for example, is often bumped on-safe when I had left it off-safe, as it rides in the patrol car. (We don't have shotgun racks where I work.) I have read accounts of Marlin lever rifles, with their cross-bolt safeties, being bumped on-safe or off-safe while moving through thick brush. I keep the chamber empty unless my shotgun is in my hands.

SIXTO

If the shotgun is out, intimidation is not my goal.

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Travis Morgan

+1. If I have to pull a gun out, I've already failed to sufficiently intimidate you.

SonofASniper

Are you sure? I thought I read that somewhere in my department's policy right next to the "when to fire a shot in the air so you can scare the bad guy into surrendering, break up bar room brawls, and stopping cattle stampedes". /sarcasm

I'm sorry, but that is one of the myths out there that drives me up the wall. To expand on what Sixto is saying:
LEO's do not carry tools used for deadly force so that they have the intimidation factor. They carry tools used for deadly force so that when deadly force is needed, they have the tools for the job.

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echo5tango

everyone knows the sound of a shotgun being racked makes bad guys evacuate their bladder and bowels uncontrollably ...

MnemonicMonkey

This would be another reason why. Especially if stored horizontally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQG0G2S_kzc

Rounds cooking off in the tube don't do nearly the damage chambered rounds do.

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FIREARMZ

This is the answer you are looking for, good reply. Ignore the hyped up intimidation crap. Look for he real answers.

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nasm

Thank you all very much for the input on my question. Again proving to be a massive wealth of knowledge. It is much appreciated.

Take care,

nasm